A new product called Belly Balm worked for me. Started treating mare before itchy season and she was fine, even came to me to put the stuff on her. Stopped treatment when I moved and had to spend all my time building fences. So she went back to scratching. So keep up the treatment.

Well girl....somewhere along the line you must be doing something wrong......
First, the diet change will take some time to show effect, all the bad stuff has to come out of her system.
That said, I noticed bugs develop resistance to a repellent. So switching every once in a while will help. With Repel X I noticed that especially. I used Mosquito Halt, works like a charm, lasts actually 20 hours. Now im out, I need to mail order, so I got ultra shield. Doesn't lastbas long, but works too.
What im doing is applying it other a mitt. Seems to "stick" better that way. Paying special attention where my Snipper seems to bothered most, chest, neck, face and girth area.

I also found a bug killer just yesterday which is hanging in their three sided shed. It was full of bugs during the day yesterday before hanging the thing, this morning....NOTHING, not one bug. I can tell they spent a great deal of time in there by how the bedding was searched for oats kernels(I feed oat hay and what is wasted goes in there as bedding).
The stuff is called Prozap Insect Guard. Im truely amazed, I have to say.

Apart from that, I don't wash her, don't apply any ointments, just wipe my fly stuff on early evening. All her fur has grown back, no more sores.
With her I don't think it's sweet itch, tho.

I did have two mares with it and what helped them was usingg Skin-so-Soft Original bath oil, wiped on early early in the morning and about an hour before dawn. They both stayed outside, stopped swishing and shaking immediately.
It has to be applied twice daily and has to be the above named, not the other scents or variations.

I've been using the Belly Balm with no results. Snickers laid down in front of me and was scratching her belly on the ground....I laid on top of her while she was scooting around helping her itch....lol!

Desert - I know something must be wrong, but maybe it just hasn't been long enough for the diet change to take affect? As for the bug sprays, Repel X is the only one I've found that doesn't cause her to get welts or hives. Mosquito Halt and Pyrhanna both caused massive welts. But I completely forgot about Avon Skin-So-Soft! I'll have to get some of that!!

Sue- no, no frost yet >.< Gahh I can't wait. Ya, I know about Magnesium, sorry if I made it sound opposite, it's actually in her calming supplement. My question was about ulcers, is it possible for her itchy belly to be caused by ulcers? And could she actually have ulcers despite all the magnesium she's getting? She was galloping around alot yesterday, when she was super itchy - which could be 'flaring up' ulcers? But I thought ulcers would make her belly hurt, not be itchy?

CenProweb- I have belly balm and that's what I started with, it helps keep bugs from biting her belly - but it's not just her belly that gets bitten, it's just her belly that's itchy.

Yeah, get the skin so soft, pour a bit in your hand and wipe it over the crest if the neck, root if the tail and her underside. Don't rub it in, just superficial, but generously. It's oily, so the gnats can't bite through and the smell (pleasant to us) keeps them away. Twice a day will be necessary, gnats fly dusk and dawn. Maybe keep her in until 9am, do her then and do her again around 5pm.
Try to get this prozap thing for in her stall, it does work!

Another thing, and I suggested some serious training on this, remember....cut the weeds and long grass. That's where the bugs stay. And keep stall and paddock clean, too.

Desert thanks! Yes, I've been whacking away at the weeds, I got the perimeter of her paddock completely whacked and now I'm working around the riding area It's slow going as there are some weeds my whacker can't even cut x.x So I've got lopers that I have to cut it with. Slow going but going.

I will get the skin-so-soft thanks for the directions I didn't think ulcers could be it, but I worry :P

I went through the same problem with my draft cross for the past three summers... last ear it was so bad he ended up with a sheath infection, no hair on his belly, rubbed out all his mane.... is was AWFUL! Nothing topical helped him.

This year, at the first hint of bugs (he is allergic to gnat bites) we started him on Prednisolone L.... and it worked like a charm! He stopped itching, his mane had grown back in, his belly is completely covered with hair, and he is happy.

Make note, this is NOT prednisone, horses can't absorb prednisone, and as far as steroids go, this is the safest option for long term treatment... he is on a low daily dose until the first hard frost kills all the little buggers!

Other option is to go allergy skin tests, find out what the allergen is, and get them desensitized to it by having small injections over a course of time. I haven't looked into this option yet, as the cost is pretty expensive.

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